1. Field of the Development
This application relates generally to custom systems and methods for authenticating articles.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Counterfeiting articles of many kinds is a serious problem worldwide, causing great loss of revenues to legitimate businesses and to individuals. Counterfeiters have produced articles that are very difficult to distinguish from the genuine articles, taking sales revenues from the producers of genuine articles and impacting legitimate business' reputations when the counterfeit articles have inferior quality and/or non-existent manufacturers' support. Similarly, problems and losses occur due to counterfeiting of articles used for financial transactions or identification; such as postage stamps, banknotes, credit cards, drivers' licenses, passports, and immigration documents. Even when genuine articles have been marked with authentication markings such as watermarks, special papers, and holograms which are difficult to replicate, counterfeiters have managed to produce articles that appear genuine. The general availability of newer replication technology such as high-resolution image scanners, laser copiers and printers, and color-accurate color copiers and printers has enabled counterfeiters to produce more credible counterfeit articles.
Postage stamps have historically been produced by governing entities. Their intended purpose is to show that a certain fee has been paid to post a mail piece for delivery. Very shortly after the innovation of the postage stamp, some people began to counterfeit stamps and some people began to save and collect stamps.
These technological developments of replication hardware continue to progress rapidly, as does the development of computer hardware and software that support them. Thus it is useful to have additional ways to mark articles for authentication with greater security. Greater security may be achieved by making authentication markings more difficult for counterfeiters to detect and interpret, by incorporating greater complexity into the markings, and by making replication by counterfeiters more difficult. Combining multiple kinds of marking indicia can further increase the complexity of detection, interpretation, and replication, thus providing even better security. Considering the security issue from another point of view, it is not desirable to use the same means that generated the visible appearance of an article to authenticate it, as the visible appearance is becoming easier to replicate.
Many methods have been known to authenticate valuable articles. Some known methods include imprinting a white-light hologram on an item for authentication or imprinting reflective and diffractive indicia which display distinctive images that are difficult to counterfeit on an item for authentication. Other known methods include incorporation of distinctive fibers into the articles, such fibers being detectable by visual observation, microwave irradiation, or other means.
Thus, a covert optical feature with ability to be detected via electronic authentication apparatus and that cannot be reproduced by common visible graphic copying and printing means can provide improved security is described herein.
Stamp collecting has likewise affected postal business. Specifically, stamp collecting encouraged stamp issuing entities to produce stamps which not only function as a proof of payment device, but which are also topically and/or aesthetically appealing. Traditionally subjects of broad appeal such as landmarks, indigenous plants and animals, and nationally known public figures have been featured on postage stamps. In the 21st century, with the advent of new technology, the capability exists to economically produce small quantities of postage stamps which appeal to a narrower audience. This has sparked the emergence of “personalized postage stamps.”
Personalized postage is currently available in the United States and other countries. Private companies have contract agreements with the USPS to create postage stamps using customer submitted images and text. However, these stamps require a large portion of the face of the stamp be utilized for scrambled indicia to ensure compatibility with USPS automation equipment. These large indicia reduce the available image size, and detract from the overall aesthetic appeal. Some postal agencies in other countries produce personalized postage stamps, but their design utilizes a perforation between the actual valid postage and the personalized segment of the stamp. If the two parts are separated on the perforation, the personalized design is simply a sticker with no postage value.